The UCLA men’s volleyball team entered the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation playoffs last season with expectations of
winning the league tournament and going on to play for the NCAA
title.
Then they lost in the first round, but still made it to the NCAA
Final Four as an at-large team due to their strong record and high
ranking.
This year, they won’t have the luxury of a second
chance.
For the seventh-seeded Bruins (20-12, 12-10 MPSF) to advance to
the NCAA Championships, they will have to win the MPSF Tournament
and receive an automatic bid.
The Bruins begin their postseason quest tonight with a play-in
match at Pauley against eighth-seeded UC Santa Barbara, well aware
that their next loss will mean the end of the season.
“This team has to win every match the rest of the way,
because it’s over the minute we lose,” UCLA coach Al
Scates said. “We’re not going to be an at-large team,
but the team has a great attitude, and everyone is peaking right
now, so we have the ability to keep winning.”
UCLA is confident that it will be able to avoid the fate of last
season’s Bruins in their first MPSF tournament game.
Last season, the Bruins lost to a Northridge team that they had
already beaten three times. And although UCLA has swept Santa
Barbara three times this season, the Bruins are determined not to
overlook the lower-ranked Gauchos.
“We expect a tough game, and we know that ranking does not
matter in the playoffs because any team can win,” senior
Damien Scott said. “Last year, we had the high ranking but
didn’t feel that confident because we hadn’t been
playing well, and we lost in the first round. This year we know we
are determined not to lose.”
The Bruins’ confidence stems from their current eight-game
winning streak, which includes a dominating victory last Friday
over then-No.3 Northridge.
Unlike last year’s Bruins, who entered the postseason by
losing to Long Beach State and then barely overcoming conference
doormat UC San Diego in five games, this year’s team has all
the momentum in its favor, which it considers an advantage more
important than being highly ranked.
“Having a winning streak going into the playoffs gives us
such a great boost of confidence, especially considering that we
just beat a high-ranking team,” Scott said. “The game
technically didn’t influence our standings, but continuing
our winning streak was important to us.”
Despite their low seeding, the Bruins feel their preparation
throughout the season has made them ready to take on any team they
may face in the playoffs.
“Last year we were a mess going into the postseason, but
this year the team is healthy and in physically great shape,”
Scates said. “Not only do we have so much momentum, but since
we’ve been training hard all year, we are stronger and more
conditioned than the teams we will face.”
The Bruins are ready to make their run into the postseason, but
are remembering to focus on one match at a time. They can already
dream of bringing home an NCAA Championship.
“We have to make sure to take care of business and be
prepared to do whatever is needed to win every game,” senior
Nick Scheftic said. “We’re going to give our full
effort against Santa Barbara.”